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<title>Memento by Agent-Lizzo (NotEvenRossi)</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22618204">Memento</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotEvenRossi/pseuds/Agent-Lizzo'>Agent-Lizzo (NotEvenRossi)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon-compliant character death (implied), F/M, Pre-Canon, Sam Winchester’s one purple dog shirt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 19:07:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,248</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22618204</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotEvenRossi/pseuds/Agent-Lizzo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I think you would look dashing. Purple really brings out your eyes” she idly commented, the outer edges of her eyes crinkling; a thin stripe of her teeth came into view between her lips due to the corners of her mouth curving upwards with a silent mirth.</p>
<p>For a moment Sam was unable to look at the shirt in her hand let alone force in a breath due to the sudden and harsh reminder of how absolutely smitten he was.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Memento</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This work is inspired by this shirt Sam owns:</p>
<p>https://agent-lizzo.tumblr.com/post/190708912923/harmocdsam-sam-the-purple-dog-shirt-in-118</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Even with the hefty scholarship, and financial aid package Sam Winchester had been awarded upon acceptance to Stanford it was still ingrained into him to look at the clearance rack before anything else. Money had always been an issue growing up; John, Dean, and himself had lived solely off of what they could get from slinging a pool cue, and the occasional odd jobs John could find. To say the least the income with their lifestyle wasn’t exactly dependable, and anything but generous; the far and few times that they had went somewhere other than GoodWill or Salvation Army the clearance rack had been a luxury in its own. Instead of the thoughts of his childhood he focused his attention to the cheap material his fingers were gliding over, staring a little too intently at the beach shirt that he could envision was the envy of any man going through a midlife crisis with dreams of Hawaii ricocheting through their minds. </p>
<p>“What about this?”</p>
<p>Sam shifted his gaze to another shirt, he didn’t even need to look up from the forest green fabric in hand to know that Jess was no doubt holding the most ridiculous clothing item she could find in the store; this wasn’t the first time that she had accompanied Sam while shopping for clothing, far from it. Jess had decided early on that there were some things that Sam was absolutely infuriating about, and she was always vocal about them; even when it annoyed Sam in the moment he was more than pleased with the thought. Sam knew he was rough around the edges, difficult to deal with because of his upbringing, and Jess proved to him time and time again that communication actually was key; it was ironic that he was considered the Winchester best in touch with his feelings, yet he fell far below the bar of his peers emotional capabilities. Part of Jess’ communication was making Sam very aware of how difficult he was about accepting anyone’s advice when it came to clothing; it seemed he was left in a limbo between what he grew up wearing in the hunting life, and what fit with his new beginning. By the second time Jess came shopping with him she had realized trying to help was useless, and would busy herself by finding the most colorful, and mismatched clothing she could instead. </p>
<p>He shifted through another shirt before setting the one he had been holding back down. It was a polo shirt, but that didn’t feel like it was the right choice for what he was going for; he wanted to seem professional, not like he had just stepped off of the green— putter still in hand. Yeah, the polo shirt was definitely a no-go with how important this interview was, it was his future on a plate. </p>
<p>“Let me see” he hummed as he turned around, unable to stop the soft smile from his lips. </p>
<p>Sam had been with Jess for nearly two years, and still at times he was in awe of her. In awe of the person she made him; someone who could allow himself to be vulnerable without worry of attack, kind without so much of a thought of being taken advantage of, and happy without constantly waiting for a war to be waged. He had never felt so utterly free in his life; Part of him was certain of the impossibility of being a better version of himself than he was at that moment.</p>
<p>“I think you would look dashing. Purple really brings out your eyes” she idly commented, the outer edges of her eyes crinkling; a thin stripe of her teeth came into view between her lips due to the corners of her mouth curving upwards with a silent mirth.</p>
<p>For a moment Sam was unable to look at the shirt in her hand let alone force in a breath due to the sudden and harsh reminder of how absolutely smitten he was. In moments like this Sam couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that someone like Jess was so in love with him, yet he never questioned it as his trust in her knew no bounds. After a moment too long his gaze did trail down, but it took him a moment to actually register what was in her hand; She wasn’t wrong, the dark purple was a nice shade, and complementary to Sam’s features. The small dog embroidered on the chest was enough to pull an exhale of air from Sam, that fell just under the requirements for a chuckle. </p>
<p>He stepped forward reaching for the shirt, studying it carefully. His thumb gently traced the line in between the soft fabric, and edge of the embroidered dog’s belly. </p>
<p>The shirt itself was nice, Sam immediately liked the color, and texture of the material. It was something that he could imagine wearing during long hours at the library, or during laundry day. A shirt that he could wear underneath his mustard yellow ‘Stanford’ hoodie when he had lectures. He would definitely get use of the material; On the days when he volunteered at the animal shelter he was certain his fellow volunteers would instantly smile from the design. Along with that the dog was nice. Sam had always loved animals, and wished for a future where he could have a dog or two, maybe a golden retriever. </p>
<p>Apparently Sam seemed to be considering the shirt too long for Jess’ liking drawing a sudden, nearly horrified retreat of her suggestion: “I was just kidding!” </p>
<p>Sam tightened his large hands around the material to prevent Jess from taking it back; he looked down at the fabric for another long moment, making his choice. Sam tossed the material into the cart with a sheepish smile, and a shrug, a simplistic declaration of “I like it” leaving his lips. </p>
<p>“It doesn’t really seem you style” she stated after a moment.</p>
<p>Sam turned around to look at another rack. He reminded himself that he no longer had to view the clearance rack as a luxury; he wasn’t scraping by week to week on too thin sandwiches, and collected change for enough gas to get to the nearest bar John could work a hustle at. </p>
<p>“What can I say?” He paused as he glanced back at Jess, his face holding the same silent mirth that she had moments ago “Purple brings out my eyes”.</p>
<p>Jess closed the distance between the two of them with a soft laugh. He leaned down, just enough to place a soft kiss on her lips before the moment passed. He could feel her soft hand come to rest on his chest, patting it once before rubbing a small circle in the place it landed.</p>
<p>“And no one can say no to those puppy dog eyes. I know I can’t. Wearing that you have the interview in the bag” she joked, her eyes mirroring the adoration in Sam’s own. </p>
<p>The rest of the shopping trip continued without issue; Sam decided on a new suit, and tie for his interview on Monday. Little did he know that it would see no wear and tear except to be burned to the ground like Sam’s hope for the future, and everything be loved. On the other hand the purple dog shirt would be safely in the trunk of the Impala; haphazardly stuffed in his duffel from his sudden departure, turning to nothing more than a memento of his past life.</p>
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